Fatethrone
by Canis Lupus 54
Summary: When Saber destroys the Holy Grail, she and Shirou are sent to a new world.
1. Prologue

"Dance with me then," Ser Waymar Royce declared defiantly.

He rushed forward to meet the Other before him, sword raised high above his head. Although his hands trembled, Will thought that in that moment, Ser Waymar was a man of the Watch. The Other halted. Will saw its deep, icy blue eyes, fixed on the longsword. He dared to hope, for but a moment.

Then, more Others emerged from the shadows, silently. Will had to call out, and yet, it would be the death of him if he did. He kept his silence as he clutched to the tree he was perched on for dear life.

The pale sword of the first Other came shivering through the air to meet Ser Waymar's blade. A screeching sound rang out from the swords' clash. The watchers stood patiently. They observed the fight, but did not interfere. Ser Waymar checked every blow of the first Other, but he was driven backwards.

Then, Ser Waymar's parry came a moment too late and the Other's sword pierced his ringmail beneath his arm.

The Other started to say something in a mocking voice, it's tone like that of ice cracking. Then, there was a flash of light, blinding Will. When he regained his sight, two new figures stood in the area, between the Other and Ser Waymar.

One was a small young woman, wielding a sword that shone with golden light such that the blade seemed to be made of the light itself. She wore a white, blue, and gold dress covered in armor. Her hair was short and blonde, done up in a sort of bun. She stood easily, with a ready yet confident posture.

The other was a teenage boy, dressed in a white and blue shirt and blue pants. He had short, reddish hair. His stance was more uneven. Though not fearful, he was clearly uneasy.

"Saber, where are we?" he asked.

"I don't know, Shirou," the woman replied. "If I had to hazard a guess, I would say the Holy Grail sent us somewhere, either as a result of its destruction, or as a measure to prevent it."

"Makes sense, what are those things?"

The Others were backing off, seemingly recoiling from the sword's golden light. They whispered amongst each other in hushed, confused tones.

"I know not, but it seems they were attacking these men. Shall I destroy them, Master?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, get rid of them, I'll back you up if you need it." A sword, similar to, yet different from, the sword the woman wielded simply appeared in the boy's hand.

The woman rushed forward to meet the Other that had attacked Ser Waymar and bisected it in a single blow, its remains dissolving into icy water. The watchers screeched and launched at the woman, striking at her all at once. With a broad swing, she parried all the strikes, snapping the icy swords in half. Then, she cut down the Others.

The woman scanned the battlefield for more Others, then sheathed her sword. She walked back over to the boy, who was already checking on Ser Waymar.

"I don't know any healing magic," the boy was saying. "Saber, can he carry Avalon while we walk?"

The woman nodded. "I see no reason why not."

"Let's get to safety, then."

"Wait!" Will called out, scrambling down the tree. "Wait for me!"

The four then started walking back towards Gared.

"Where do you come from?" Ser Waymar asked the strangers.

"Fuyuki City, in Japan," the boy answered.

"I have never heard of Japan."

"What about England?" the woman asked. "I am its king."

Ser Waymar shook his head. "But I won't let relations with these far off lands begin with hostilities. I'll see to it you are treated as guests."


	2. Chapter 1

Bran

The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. The party had set out at daybreak to meet the visitors from these strange new lands, Japan and England. One of them was even a king. Well, she was a girl, but she insisted that she was a king nonetheless. Bran rode with them, nervous with excitement. It was the first time he had been deemed old enough to accompany his father on official business. It was the ninth year of summer and the seventh of Bran's life. They arrived at the Wall, where the visitors waited just outside the Lord Commander's keep. The boy, Shirou, waved to them as they approached. The boy's clothes were a little odd. The girl stood next to him and Bran could practically see the kingliness steaming off of her. She stood with a regal, confident bearing and had bright green eyes.

While the boy was smiling and waving at the coming party, the girl was far more cautious. She stood at the boy's side with her face in a slight scowl and one hand resting on her sword's hilt.

When they got close, Bran's lord father dismounted and walked toward the pair on foot. He bowed deeply to the girl. "Greetings, king of England, and envoy from Japan. I am Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell. I shall be offering you lodging until such time as you can be transported to King's Landing."

The boy nodded and bowed back. "Nice to meet you, I'm Emiya Shirou, er, Shirou Emiya. Thank you for offering us your home."

"I am Arturia Pendragon, King of England," said the girl. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Well met. We had best be going. Has Lord Mormont prepared horses for the two of you?"

"He has," said Shirou. "Though, Saber doesn't really need one."

Bran was slightly confused at who "Saber" was, but figured it must have been a nickname for the king girl. They must have been close for him to use it so freely. Father seemed confused too, for a moment, but didn't question the boy.

"Very well, let's be off then," he simply said.

Bran rode with his brothers, well ahead of the rest of the party. His pony struggled to keep up with their horses.

"The visitors are strange," said Robb. "Yet, I like them. The girl seems strong and brave, yet not too hard on the eyes. The boy seems nice too, there is a strength about him."

Jon nodded along. "Indeed, the girl seems noble as well. The boy is very friendly and trusting."

"Race you to the bridge?"

"Done."

Jon kicked his horse forward. Robbed cursed and followed close behind. They galloped down the trail, Robb laughing and hooting, Jon silent and intent. The hooves of their horses kicked up showers of snow as they went.

Bran did not try to follow. His pony could not keep up. The girl, Arturia, seemed almost heroic. But the heroes in Old Nan's stories were never girls. Could a girl be heroic? He supposed one good, as an example was before him.

He was so deep in thought, that he did not hear the rest of the party until his father moved up to ride beside him.

"Are you well, Bran?" Father asked.

"Yes, Father," said Bran.

Jon then reappeared on the crest of the hill.

"Father, Bran, come quickly, see what Robb has found!" Jon yelled.

Jory rode up beside them. "Trouble, my lord?"

"Beyond a doubt," Father said. "Come, let us see what mischief my sons have rooted now."

Theon Greyjoy and Jory Cassel rode ahead of the rest, reaching the boys first. Greyjoy was laughing and joking as he rode. Bran heard the breath go out of him as he exclaimed "Gods!"

"Robb, get away from it!" exclaimed Jory, sword drawn.

Robb looked up from the bundle in his hands.

"Sha can't hurt you Jory, she's dead."

Father made the party dismount and approach on foot. Bran dismounted and ran to see what was going on. He saw an incredibly large wolf.

"It's a freak!" Greyjoy was saying. "Look at the size of it."

"It's no freak," said Jon calmy. "That's a direwolf they grow larger than the other kind."

Bran looked around. Arturia was looking softly down at the pups with a smile.

"You like them, Saber?" Shirou asked.

"Indeed. I find them rather endearing."

"Here Bran, you can hold him," said Robb, handing Bran the pup he held.

"We must kill them," said Greyjoy.

"No!" Bran cried out.

"Lord Stark," said Jon, "there are five pups, three male and two female. You have three trueborn sons and two daughters. Your children were meant to have these pups."

"It would be wise to heed such an omen, Lord Stark," Arturia piped up, still smiling.

Father considered this for a time, then consented.

As they left, they found an Albino pup who had crawled away from the others.

"This one is mine," said Jon.


	3. Chapter 2

Saber

Saber watched as the royal family of this land and their attendants poured in through the gates. She stood alongside Shirou, who watched the whole event with a look of awe. He had never seen such displays in his time, but to Saber the events were mundane enough.

Though she knew none of the riders, Saber could pick out the interesting characters. A large man with a horrible burned face. A tall boy rode behind him. The boy carried a smug air that reminded her of Gilgamesh. She instantly disliked him, but didn't let it show. It would not do to sour relations this early, even if she could theoretically take on the entire party at once. Behind those two rode a dwarf.

A huge man rode at the front of the column, flanked by two knights in snow white cloaks. Saber guessed he was the king and was immediately disappointed in him. Again, though, she kept her feelings internalized. Then, the man leapt off his horse with a loud roar and grabbed Eddard Stark in a hug that did not look comfortable. "Ned! Ah, but it is good to see that frozen face of yours." The king looked his friend up and down. "You have not changed at all."

Lord Stark looked as if he had a lot on his mind, but he merely said, "Your Grace, Winterfell is yours."

Others were dismounting by then, grooms coming forward to take their horses. A woman who was presumably the queen came forth on foot, accompanied by her children. The men greeted each other's wives, then the children were brought forth and introduced.

Then, Saber and Shirou stepped forwards to meet the king. Saber bowed for him and Shirou did the same.

"I am King Arthur of England," she said. "My true name is Arturia Pendragon. It is a pleasure to meet you, King of the Seven Kingdoms."

"I'm Shirou Emiya," Shirou said. "I come from Japan, but Sa—Arturia and I know each other well."

"Shirou is my lover," Saber said bluntly, best to get that out of the way. Shirou blushed at her directness.

The king of this land bowed back and responded, "I am King Robert Baratheon. It is our pleasure to host you here for however long you wish. If you will excuse me, I have business with Lord Eddard."

"Of course, we don't mean to impose."

Robert turned to Eddard. "Take me down to your crypt, Eddard. I would pay my respects."

The queen started to protest, but was silenced by a glare from the king. A man who resembled her, with blond hair, took her by the arm. Eddard obliged and they went down to a crypt.

"So, you're our visitors," the arrogant looking boy said. "I hear you both know your way around a sword. Perhaps we can practice some time."

"That sounds nice," Saber said with a forced smiled.

"You're already learning how to fight?" Shirou asked. "Wow, things are tough here."

Saber and Shirou were greeted by the queen and the other royal children. They returned the greetings with plenty of smiles.

After that, they went back inside the castle. There was a feast that night, with Saber and Shirou seated at the same table as the royal family. Nothing of note happened at the feast, save an argument between Eddard's bastard son Jon Snow and his uncle. In the end, Jon stormed out of the room in tears, his albino direwolf pup following close behind him. The rest of the feast passed without incident, and afterwards Shirou and Saber retired to their shared temporary quarters.

Despite their previous relations, Shirou seemed somewhat hesitant to share a bed with Saber, but he eventually relented and climbed into bed with her. They went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

Saber

Saber sat in the stitching room, bored out of her mind. She had been curious to see the role of woman in the Seven Kingdoms' society. Now she felt it would be rude to leave, and she and Shirou could not afford to be rude. She cursed her earlier curiosity. The princess of the realm was present, along with Lord Eddard Stark's two daughters and the older daughter's friends.

The younger daughter, Arya, seemed to have taken an instant liking to Saber. Sansa seemed to be conflicted. She had described Saber as "like a hero from a song, except a woman. And not ladylike at all."

Sansa was chatting with her friends about the crown prince, Joffrey.

Arya was staring at them, until suddenly she asked, "What are you talking about?" No one answered, save for with giggles and blushes. "Tell me."

"We were talking about the prince," Sansa said.

"Joffrey likes your sister," Jeyne Poole added in a proud tone. "He told her she was very beautiful."

"He's going to marry her," said little Beth Cassel, hugging herself. "Then Sansa will be queen of all the realm."

"You shouldn't make up stories, Beth," Sansa said softly, stroking the younger girl's hair. "What do you think of Prince Joff, sister? He's very gallant, don't you think?"

"Jon says he looks like a girl," Arya replied.

Sansa sighed. "Poor Jon. He gets jealous because he's a bastard."

"He's our brother."

"What are you talking about, children?" Septa Mordane cut in.

"Our half-brother," Sansa corrected softly. "Arya and I were remarking on how pleased we were to have the princess with us today."

"Indeed. A great honor for us all. Arya, why aren't you at work? Let me see your stitches."

"Here," said Arya, holding up her work.

"Arya, Arya, Arya. This will not do. This will not do at all."

Arya pushed herself out of her chair and bolted for the door.

"Arya, come back here! Don't you take another step! Your lady mother will hear of this. In front of our royal princess and the king of England too! You'll shame us all.

Arya stopped, turned with tears in her eyes, and bowed stiffly. "By your leave, my ladies."

Saber stood and walked over to the girl. "It's quite all right. I was just thinking I would like to see this land's knights in training at work. Perhaps you would like to join me, young Arya?"

Arya nodded eagerly. "I would like that."

The septa sighed. "Very well, then, go on."

Saber led Arya down the stairs. They retrieved the girl's wolf pup.

"I know a good place to watch from," Arya said. She led the way to a covered bridge where her bastard brother Jon awaited, watching the training intently. The younger boys, Bran and Tommen, were swinging at each other with padded swords. The boys themselves were covered in padding.

"Would you like to watch from the yard?" Saber asked the two. "I shall take responsibility for bringing a bastard into the presence of the princes."

The two nodded eagerly. Jon led the way down to the yard. By the time they got there, the bout between the two young boys was over. The master-at-arms of Winterfell was asking Robb and Joffrey if they would go another round. Shirou walked over to Saber.

"Gladly," said Robb.

"This is a game for children, Ser Rodrik," Joffrey said with a bored look.

Eddard's ward and hostage, Theon Greyjoy, laughed at that. "You are children."

"Robb may be a child. I am a prince. And I grow tired of swatting at Starks with a play sword."

"You got more swats than you gave, Joff," Robb said. "Are you afraid?"

"Oh, terrified, you're so much older." The Lannister men laughed.

"What are you suggesting?" Ser Rodrik asked, tugging at his whiskers.

"Live steel."

"Done," Robb said. "You'll be sorry!"

"Live steel is too dangerous," said the master-at-arms. "I will permit tourney swords, with blunted edges."

The burned man stepped forward. "This is your prince. Who are you to tell him he may not have an edge on his sword, _ser?_ "

"Master-at-arms of Winterfell, Clegane, and you would do well not to forget it."

"Are you training women here?"

"I am training knights. They will have steel when they are ready. When they are of an age."

The burned man, Clegane, looked to Robb. "How old are you, boy?"

"Fourteen."

"I killed a man at twelve. You can be sure it was not with a blunt sword. He looked to Shirou and Saber. "How old were you when you took up the sword?"

"Sixteen," Shirou replied.

"I was younger, but I did it so that others would not have to, not so I could make idle boasts to others. Shirou was much the same."

Clegan growled and stepped backwards.

"Let's go," Joffrey said.

He turned and left with his party. Saber shook her head at them.


	5. Chapter 4

Shirou

Shirou and Saber had taken to reading in his short time at Winterfell. With Saber gone, he scarcely had anyone to talk to. Jon seemed perpetually in a bad mood, and was therefore not much company. The other children were too young. Robb was okay, but he had gone on the hunt. The king wanted boar for the feast tonight, and so had put together a hunting party. He had invited Saber and Shirou to come. Saber had graciously accepted the invitation, while Shirou had insisted he knew nothing about hunting.

So, he sat reading up on the history and culture of the Seven Kingdoms. They had some interesting legends here. Saber liked the warrior queen Arya had named her direwolf after. Shirou liked that one too, but he didn't have a favorite. He finished the book he was reading and shelved it.

Then, he decided to go for a walk. As he walked around the castle, he came upon Jon.

"Hi," Shiro said politely. "How are you?"

"Not too bad," Jon said.

"Jon, I'm going to tell you something important: don't give up on your ideals. I wanted to be a hero of justice growing up." Jon laughed slightly at that. "I know, it sounds silly. I inherited that dream from my dad and everyone else told me it was foolish. But I didn't listen. And because I didn't listen, I got to save the world from two psychopaths."

"What's the point of this story?"

"Don't give up on your goal in life, or your ideals."

"Got it."

Shirou left after that. Then, he heard a sudden scream. He and Jon raced towards the source, and came upon Bran lying in the snow, unconscious.

"What happened?" Shirou exclaimed.

"He must have fallen while climbing," Jon said.

"Get away from him, you bastard!" came a shout from Catelyn, running up to Bran. Jon quickly ran away.

Shirou cursed internally. If Saber was here, they could heal Bran with Avalon. He could hear the cawing of crows in the distance. Shirou looked up and realized whose room Bran had fallen from. He opened his mouth to voice his thoughts, but then thought of what Saber would say and stopped.

"Saber, it was the queen, I tell you," Shirou whispered to Saber.

"Even so, if we come forward with that knowledge it will be our word against the queen's. Who do you think they will choose to believe?"

"The queen's."

"Exactly, and then we will have the whole of this continent against us. Even if we could win such a battle, what would be left for us in the aftermath? Our best course of action is to keep our silence on this matter."

"Can we at least use Avalon to heal him?"

Saber shook her head. "He will only confirm what we know and start a civil war."

"I feel so helpless."

"Such is politics," Saber replied with a sigh. "I can hardly say I missed this aspect of kingship."


	6. Chapter 5

Saber

Saber walked through the yard, watching the commotion as everybody packed up to leave. She was headed for Bran's chambers, to bid Lady Stark farewell and offer her sympathies once more. It would be lie to say she was not feeling guilty about withholding the magic healing artifact she had on her, but it was necessary. She reached the keep, only to walk in on an awkward confrontation between Jon and Lady Stark.

"Call them, you can't stop me from seeing him," Jon was saying, he walked over to the bed and apologized to his brother for not visiting.

"I wanted him to stay here with me," Lady Stark said softly. "I prayed for it. He was my special boy. I went to the sept and prayed seven times to the seven faces of god that Ned would change his mind and leave him here with me."

Saber could tell that Jon didn't know what to say, so she chose that moment to make her presence known. "Lady Stark," she said. "I have come to offer my sympathy for your son's condition once more. And to bid you farewell."

"Oh, King Arturia," Catelyn replied. "How nice of you to join us, however, I want to be alone with Bran."

"Of course, I understand," she gestured for Jon to follow her out, and he did. "I am guessing you plan to deliver your sword to Arya now?"

"How did you-?"

"I went to have a sword made for Shirou, should he ever be unable to trace Caliburn, and had to wait for yours to be completed. Judging by the nature of the blade, I could guess who it was for. I would like to come with you. I would teach Arya the way of the sword."

"O-of course!" Jon exclaimed. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear that."

Robb came up to them. "Uncle Benjen is looking for you," he told Jon. "He wanted to be gone an hour ago.

"I know," said Jon. "Soon. Leaving is harder than I thought."

"For me too. Did you see him?"

Jon nodded.

"He's not going to die. I know it."

"You Starks are hard to kill," Jon agreed.

The brothers hugged and bid each other farewell. Then, they broke apart and looked at each other awkwardly.

"Uncle Benjen said to send you to the stables if I saw you," Robb said.

"I have one more farewell to make," Jon replied.

"Then I haven't seen you."

They then went to the armory to retrieve Arya's sword, and took the covered bridge to the Keep. Arya was packing, with her wolf Nymeria helping. When the wolf smelled Ghost, she sat down and yelped at them.

Arya looked and jumped to her feet upon seeing Jon. She hugged him. "I was afraid you were gone," she said. "They wouldn't let me out to say good-bye."

"What did you do now?" Jon asked, clearly amused.

Arya stepped back and made a face.

"Nothing, I was all packed and everything. Apparently my clothes weren't folded properly. What are you doing here with King Arthur?"

Jon shut the door behind him and pulled off the rags he had wrapped the sword in.

"A sword," Arya breathed.

"This is no toy," Jon said. "Be careful you don't cut yourself. I had Mikken make this special. The bravos use swords like this in Pentos and Myr and the other Free Cities. It won't hack a man's head off, but it can poke him full of holes if you're fast enough."

"I will be your teacher," Saber cut in. "My style of sword is rather different, but I can still teach you the basics."

"I'm going to train under a king!"

"I will take responsibility should we be discovered, but it is probably best we keep this secret for the time being."

"And of course, like all great swords, it has a name," Jon added. "It's your very favorite thing."

"Needle!" Arya and Jon said together, then Arya laughed long and hard.

"I had best be going," Jon said.

"I wish you were coming with us."

Saber hummed in thought. "Lord Stark's bastard son cannot travel south, but my new squire Jon Snow may be more fortunate."

"What?" Jon exclaimed. "But I-I said I'd go to the Wall!"

"The men of the Wall are aware of the return of the Others. One more man will not make a difference, even a man of your caliber."

"I can't go, my father…"

"Has no say in who from my party attends. To put it bluntly, Jon, you are a decent person, and I believe you would be wasted on the Wall. I know what the oath entails, and you would be giving up a great many things you scarcely understand. Come with us, and one day you may even be a knight of England."

"You would knight a bastard?"

"I've knighted worse."

"Thank you, King Arturia! I shall not forget this!"

"As your first order as my squire, help your sister finish packing, then meet me in the yard, I will arrange an extra horse for you."

Saber walked away, leaving the two siblings to pack. If she couldn't heal Bran for fear of starting a war, she could at least perform some smaller kindnesses.


	7. Chapter 6

Sansa

"What would you like to do?" Joffrey asked.

Joffrey had just rescued Sansa form Ser Ilyn, the king's executioner, and the Hound. Sansa had been visiting the queen when they had frightened her. Stupid Arya had refused to go visit the queen. How dare she? She had gone riding instead. Sansa hated riding.

"Whatever you would like to do, my prince," said Sansa

"We could go riding," Joffrey said after a moment of reflection.

"Oh, I love riding!" Sansa exclaimed.

Joffrey glanced back at Lady, Sansa's direwolf, "Your wolf is liable to frighten the horses, and my dog seems to frighten you. Let us leave them both behind."

"If you like, I suppose I could tie Lady up. I didn't know you had a dog."

"He's my mother's dog, in truth. She has set him to guard me, and so he does."

"You mean the Hound? Is it safe to leave him behind?"

Prince Joffrey looked annoyed that she would even ask. "Have no fear, lady. I am almost a man grown, and I don't fight with wood like your brothers. All I need it this." He drew his longsword and showed it to her. Sansa exclaimed over it admiringly and Joffrey looked pleased. "I call it Lion's Tooth."

And so, they left her direwolf and his bodyguard behind them, while they ranged east along the north bank of the Trident, with no company save Lion's Tooth.

Eventually, they grew hungry. Joffrey found a holdfast by its smoke and told them to fetch food and wine for their prince and his lady. They dined on trout fresh from the river and Sansa drank more wine than she had ever drunk before.

"Shouldn't we start heading back?" asked Sansa.

"Soon," Joffrey said. "The battleground is right up ahead, where the river bends. That was where my father killed Rhaegar Targaryen, you know. He smashed his chest, crunch, right through his armor. Then my uncle Jaime killed old Aerys and my father was king. What's that sound?"

Sansa heard it too, floating through the woods, a kind of wooden clattering, snack snack snack. "I don't know," she said, but it made her nervous. "Joffrey, let's go back.

"I want to see what it is." Joffrey headed toward the sound.

"Someone's there," said Sansa, wishing Lady were there with her.

"Your safe with me," said Joffrey as he drew Lion's Tooth. "This way."

They road through a stand of trees and came upon a clearing. In the clearing stood King Arthur, Shirou Emiya, Jon, and Arya, all practicing fighting with wooden swords. Jon and Arya were having a bout, while Shirou stood off to the side holding a wooden sword and leaning against a tree. The woman-king was nodding approvingly at the two fighters, until Jon hit Arya's fingers with his sword, causing her to drop it.

"Arya?" Sansa called out incredulously.

"Go away!" Arya shouted back. "What are you doing here? Leave us alone."

"Your sister?" Joffrey asked.

Sansa nodded with a blush.

"Who is this boy who thinks he can hit my lady's sister?"

"My squire," Arturia cut in. "Having a bout with my sword fighting pupil. Think about your next words and actions wisely, boy."

"Boy?" Joffrey shouted, the wine making him wild. He walked closer to the king and leveled his sword. Arturia calmly grabbed the sword with her gauntlets and wrenched it from the boy's grasp.

"A fine blade," she said. "Do not soil it with petty cruelties."

Joffrey snatched the sword back and sheathed it, then stalked off, muttering obscenities. In his haste, he even forgot his horse. Sansa climbed off her mare and chased after him on foot. She put a hand on his shoulder. "My prince, are you okay?"

Joffrey shot her a look of pure contempt, then shook his head and allowed an easy smile to form. "Only my pride is wounded, sweet lady," he said. "Let's return to the column."

"Of course," said Sansa.


End file.
